Backlight unit and lamp socket thereof

ABSTRACT

A lamp socket includes a socket body, a flange and a plurality of support members. The flange is connected to the socket body and protrudes from the socket body horizontally. The plurality of support members are connected to the socket body. At least one engaging groove including at least two engaging widths is formed between the plurality of the support members and the flange, so as to secure the socket body to a bezel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan applicationserial no. 97145047, filed Nov. 11, 2008. The entirety of theabove-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by referenceherein and made a part of specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(A) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a backlight unit and the lamp socketthereof, and more specifically, to a backlight unit and lamp socket forpanel display applications.

(B) Description of Related Art

A backlight unit is one of the key components of a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD). Since liquid crystal is not luminous, the backlight unitis introduced to serve as a light source capable of generatingsufficient brightness and even light distribution, so that liquidcrystal can display desired images. LCD display is widely used in theelectronic devices with great development potential such as desktopmonitors, notebook computers, digital cameras and projectors, and thereis increasing demand for backlight units and their related devices.

The lamps of a traditional backlight unit are secured to the back bezelby lamp sockets. The lamp sockets are provided with hooks at the placescorresponding to the bezel, thereby securing the lamp sockets to thebezel.

The hooks connecting the lamp sockets and the bezel are only suited forthe bezel of a single thickness; however, the thickness of the bezel mayvary according to the sizes of the display panel or differentapplications. Therefore, the manufacturer has to produce various lampsockets to accommodate different bezel thicknesses. As a result,manufacturing costs such as mold cost, production and inventorymanagement are greater than if a more versatile design were produced.

Because the standards of process (SOP) of panel assemblies are not thesame, the assembly and disassembly manners are different. Some lampsockets have to be assembled or disassembled by using special fixtures.Consequently, the throughput is lowered and the rework process iscomplicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to resolve the above problems, the present invention provides abacklight unit and the lamp socket thereof. A single lamp socket thatcan be secured to bezels of different thicknesses is provided, so as tosimplify inventory management and significantly lower the mold cost ofpreparing various lamp sockets.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a lamp socketincludes a socket body, a flange and a plurality of support members. Theflange is connected to the socket body, and horizontally protrudes fromthe socket body. The plurality of support members are connected to thesocket body. At least one engaging groove including at least twoengaging widths is formed between the plurality of the support membersand the flange, so as to secure the socket body to a bezel.

In a first embodiment, the top of the support member is a steppedstructure including a plurality of steps, and the engaging groove of atleast two engaging widths is formed between the plurality of the stepsand the flange.

In a second embodiment, the support member is a forked structureincluding a plurality of branches, and the engaging groove of at leasttwo engaging widths is formed between the plurality of the branches andthe flange.

In a third embodiment, the support members are disposed at oppositesides of the socket body, and the engaging grooves of different engagingwidths are formed between the tops of the support members at oppositesides and the flange.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a backlight unitincludes a bezel and the above-mentioned lamp socket.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a backlight unitincludes a lamp socket and a bezel. The lamp socket includes a socketbody and at least one clamp member. The clamp member extends from thesocket body and forms at least one horizontal engaging groove. The bezelhas at least one bending end that is engaged in the engaging groove, inwhich the depth of the engaging groove is greater than or equal to theheight of the bending end for engaging the bending end therein.

In accordance with the present invention, a single lamp socket can beused for bezels of different thicknesses, thereby tremendouslyincreasing flexibility in use. Therefore, the lamp socket can be usedfor backlight units of different sizes and has superior commonness, andaccordingly the production cost and the likelihood of assembly errors inthe production line can be decreased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 through 4 illustrate a lamp socket in accordance with a firstembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a lamp socket in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7 through 9 illustrate a lamp socket in accordance with a thirdembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a lamp socket in accordance with a fourthembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 illustrates a lamp socket in accordance with a fifth embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The making and use of the presently preferred embodiments are discussedin detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the presentinvention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can beembodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to makeand use the invention, and do not limit the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a lamp socket in accordance with a first embodimentof the present invention, and FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 illustrate the frontview and side view of the lamp socket shown in FIG. 1. A lamp socket 10includes a socket body 11, and the upper portion of the socket body 11is provided with a flange 12 that is connected to the socket body 11 andhorizontally protrudes from the socket body 11. Two support members 13are connected to the socket body 11 and extend upward. In thisembodiment, the socket body 11 includes a first side surface 23 and asecond side surface 24 opposite to the first side surface 23. The twosupport members 13 are placed at the first side surface 23 and thesecond side surface 24, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the top of thesupport member 13 is a stepped structure 14 including a first step 15, asecond step 16, a third step 17 and a fourth step 18. Accordingly, thegaps between the stepped structure 14 and the flange 12 correspond to afirst engaging width a, a second engaging width b, a third engagingwidth c and a fourth engaging width d for engaging with bezels ofdifferent thicknesses, thereby increasing the application variety of thelamp socket 10. In other words, the gap between the support member 13and the flange 12 forms an engaging groove 19 of multiple engagingwidths, and therefore the socket body 11 can be engaged with the bezelsof different thicknesses. This is shown in further detail in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the support member 13 is placed at twosides of the front of the lamp socket 10. The lamp socket 10 hasreinforced ribs 22 on the socket body 11, and the reinforced ribs 22 andthe support members 13 are placed on the same side surfaces. The frontof the socket body 11 is provided with a reinforced plate 21. The topsof the reinforced ribs 22 and the reinforced plates 21 are connected tothe bottom of the flange 12 to increase the strength and rigidity of thelamp socket 10.

FIG. 4 illustrates a backlight unit 40 including the above-mentionedlamp socket 10 which is engaged with bezel 41 or 42 (dotted lines). Thethinner bezel 41 is engaged with a higher step of the stepped structure14, e.g., the fourth step 18. The thicker bezel 42 is engaged with alower step of the stepped structure 14, e.g., the second step 16.Accordingly, if the bezels 41 and 42 have different thicknesses, thelamp socket 10 can be engaged with either bezel 41 or 42 according tothe design of the stepped structure 14.

FIG. 5 illustrates the lamp socket in accordance with the secondembodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 illustrates the frontview of the lamp socket shown in FIG. 5. A lamp socket 20 includes asocket body 11, and the upper portion of the socket body 11 is providedwith a flange 12 connected to the socket body 11 and horizontallyprotruding from the socket body 11. Two support members 43 are connectedto the socket body 11 and extend upward. In this embodiment, the socketbody 11 includes a first side surface 23 and a second side surface 24opposite to the first side surface 23. The two support members 43 areplaced at the first side surface 23 and the second side surface 24,respectively.

As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the support member 43 is aforked structure, and includes at least a first branch 44 and a secondbranch 45. The gap between the top of the first branch 44 and the flange12 corresponds to a first engaging width e, and the gap between the topof the second branch 45 and the flange 12 corresponds to a secondengaging width f. In other words, the gap between the support member 43and the flange 12 includes an engaging groove 49 of multiple engagingwidths, and therefore the lamp socket 20 can be engaged with backlightunits having bezels of different thicknesses.

Likewise, the lamp socket 20 may have the reinforced ribs 22 and thereinforced plates 21 to increase the strength and rigidity of the entirelamp socket 20.

The differences of the lamp socket 10 of the first embodiment and thelamp socket 20 of the second embodiment are the detail structures of thesupport members 13 and 43; of which one support member 13 uses a steppedstructure 14 while the other support member 43 uses a forked structureincluding branches 44 and 45. All the designs are intended to formengaging grooves 19 and 49 each including at least two engaging widthsbetween the support members 13 or 43 and the flange 12.

FIG. 7 illustrates a lamp socket in accordance with a third embodimentof the present invention, in which the lamp socket is engaged with abezel of a backlight unit. FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 illustrate the front viewand the side view, respectively, of the lamp socket shown in FIG. 7. Abacklight unit 90 includes a lamp socket 70 and a bezel 80. The lampsocket 70 includes a socket body 11, and the upper portion of the socketbody 11 is provided with a flange 12 connected to the socket body 11 andhorizontally protruding from the socket body 11. In this embodiment, thesocket body 11 includes a first side surface 63, a second side surface64 opposite to the first side surface 63, a third side surface 65 and afourth side surface 66 opposite to the third side surface 65. As shownin FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, two support members 73 are placed at the firstside surface 63 and the second side surface 64, respectively. The gapbetween the top of the support member 73 and the flange 12 forms anengaging groove 75 with an engaging width g. Two support members 74 areplaced at the third side surface 65 and the fourth side surface 66,respectively. The gap between the top of the support member 74 and theflange 12 forms the engaging groove 76 with an engaging width h. Theengaging width g and the engaging width h are of different dimensions,allowing the lamp socket to be applied to bezels of differentthicknesses.

As shown in FIG. 7, if the thickness of the bezel 80 is approximatelyequal to the engaging width h, the support members 74 are used forsecuring the lamp socket 70 to the bezel 80. That is, when the lamp 70is secured to the bezel 80, the engaging grooves 76 of the supportmembers 74 contact and support the bezel 80, and the engaging grooves 75of the support members 73 do not contact the bezel 80. If the first sidesurface 63 and the second side surface 64 are viewed as a pair ofopposite surfaces and the third side surface 65 and the fourth sidesurface 66 are viewed as another pair of opposite surfaces, the supportmembers 73 and 74 are formed on a different pair of opposite surfaces ofthe socket body 11, and the gaps between the tops of the support members73 and 74 on the different pair of opposite surfaces and the flange 12form the engaging grooves 75 and 76 of different engaging widths.

Moreover, the bezel 80 includes openings 81 which are positionedcorresponding to the support members 74, allowing the lamp socket 70 tobe secured to the bezel 80. In addition, if the support member 73 isused for supporting a thicker bezel, the bezel 80 has to have largeropenings 81 to bypass the engaging grooves 76 of the support members 74.Consequently, the bezel 80 can be contacted and supported by theengaging grooves 75 of the support members 73.

FIG. 10 illustrates a lamp socket in accordance with a fourth embodimentof the present invention, in which the lamp socket is engaged with abezel of a backlight unit. FIG. 11 illustrates the cross-sectional viewalong line 1-1 of FIG. 10. A backlight unit 100 includes a lamp socket101 and a bezel 102. The lamp socket 101 includes a socket body 103 andclamp members 104. In this embodiment, each of the clamp members 104extends from the socket body 103. The socket body 103 may furtherincludes a flange 107 horizontally extending from the socket body 103.As shown in FIG. 11, the flange 107 and the clamping members 104 formhorizontal engaging grooves 105. The bezel 102 includes a bending end106 to be engaged with the engaging grooves 105.

The depth m of the engaging groove 105 is greater than or equal to theheight n of the bending end 106 for engaging the bending end 106therein, thereby securing the lamp socket 101 to the bezel 102. Thebending end 106 can be adjusted according to the thickness of the bezel102 to comply with the depth of the engaging groove 105. For example, ifthe bezel 102 is thinner, the bending end 106 extending upward becomeslonger and the bending position is nearer to the outside. In contrast,if the bezel 102 is thicker, the bending end 106 extending upwardbecomes shorter and the bending position is nearer to the inside.Accordingly, bezels 102 of different thicknesses can be bent accordingto the height of the engaging groove 105 and the bending position, so asto secure the lamp socket 101 to the bezel 102.

FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a lamp socket inaccordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention, in whichthe lamp socket is secured to a bezel. A backlight unit 120 includes alamp socket 101 and a bezel 102. The difference between this embodimentand the fourth embodiment is that the clamping member 104′ extendsdownward from the socket body 103 and is associated with the flange 107to form an engaging groove 105 for securing the bending end 106′ of thebezel 102 therein. In other words, the extension direction (upward ordownward) of the bending end 106 or 106′ of the clamping member 104 or104′ of the lamp socket 101 is not restricted, and can be determined asdesired.

In accordance with the present invention, a single lamp socket can beused for bezels of different thicknesses, and thus can be applied forbacklight units of different dimensions, thereby obtaining superiorcommonness of design and reduction of mold cost. Moreover, because thesingle lamp socket has the same methods for assembly or disassembly andthe bezels of various sizes are assembled according to the same standardof process, assembly errors can be effectively avoided.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended tobe illustrative only. Numerous alternative embodiments may be devised bythose skilled in the art without departing from the scope of thefollowing claims.

1. A lamp socket, comprising: a socket body; a flange connected to thesocket body and horizontally protruding from the socket body; and aplurality of support members connected to the socket body; wherein theplurality of the support members and the flange therebetween form atleast one engaging groove having at least two engaging widths forsecuring the socket body to a bezel.
 2. The lamp socket of claim 1,wherein the support members comprise a stepped structure.
 3. The lampsocket of claim 2, wherein the stepped structure comprises at least afirst step and a second step, the engaging groove comprises a firstengaging width and a second engaging width, the first engaging widthcorresponds to a gap between the first step and the flange and thesecond engaging width corresponds to a gap between the second step andthe flange.
 4. The lamp socket of claim 1, wherein the support member isa forked structure.
 5. The lamp socket of claim 4, wherein the forkedstructure comprises at least a first branch and a second branch, theengaging groove comprises a first engaging width and a second engagingwidth, the first engaging width corresponds to a gap between a top ofthe first branch and the flange, and the second engaging widthcorresponds to a gap between a top of the second branch and the flange.6. The lamp socket of claim 1, wherein the socket body comprises a firstside surface and a second side surface opposite to the first sidesurface, and the plurality of support members are placed on the firstside surface and the second side surface.
 7. The lamp socket of claim 6,wherein the socket body further comprises a third side surface and afourth side surface, and the plurality of support members are placed onthe third side surface and the fourth side surface.
 8. The lamp socketof claim 1, wherein the bezel has a plurality of openings placedcorresponding to the plurality of support members.
 9. A backlight unit,comprising: a bezel; and a lamp socket, comprising: a socket body; aflange connected to the socket body and horizontally protruding from thesocket body; and a plurality of support members connected to the socketbody; wherein the plurality of the support members and the flangetherebetween form at least one engaging groove having at least twoengaging widths for securing the socket body to the bezel.
 10. Thebacklight unit of claim 9, wherein the support member comprises astepped structure.
 11. The backlight unit of claim 9, wherein thesupport member is a forked structure.
 12. The backlight unit of claim 9,wherein the socket body comprises a first side surface and a second sidesurface opposite to the first side surface, and the plurality of supportmembers are placed on the first side surface and the second sidesurface.
 13. The backlight unit of claim 12, wherein the socket bodyfurther comprises a third side surface and a fourth side surface, andthe plurality of support members are placed on the third side surfaceand the fourth side surface.
 14. The backlight unit of claim 9, whereinthe bezel has a plurality of openings placed corresponding to theplurality of support members.
 15. A backlight unit, comprising: a lampsocket, comprising: a socket body, and at least one clamping memberextending from the socket body to form at least one horizontal engaginggroove; and a bezel having at least one bending end that is engaged inthe engaging groove, wherein a depth of the engaging groove is greaterthan or equal to a height of the bending end for engaging the bendingend therein.
 16. The backlight unit of claim 15, wherein the socket bodycomprises a flange horizontally protruding from the socket body, and theengaging groove is formed between the flange and the clamping member.